Device for dispensing liquids from tanks by either pumping means or pneumatic means



Jan. '26, 1954 A. J. DANIELS 8 DEVICE FDR, DISPENSING LIQUIDS FROM TANKS BY I EITHER PUMPING MEANS OR PNEUMATIC MEANS Filed Oct. 27, 1950 I s .u ul /2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT O F F ICE Application-October 27, 1950, Serial N 0. 192,559

=6 Claims.

(Granted under Title 35, U. s. Code (1952-),

see. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to a device for dispensing liquids from sealed containers, and more particularly to a dispensing device for dispensing liquid from a drum or sealed container either under the impetus of mechanical :pumping means or pneumatic pressure.

While it is true that devices have heretofore been constructed for dispensing liquids from sealed containers under the impetus of'mechanical pumping means or under .the impetus of pneumatic pressure, these devices had .the disadvantage that they were designed'for dispensing solely by one means or the other. Furthermore, th prior mechanical pumps, more especially those used by the Armed Forces in emptying the commonly used 55 gallon fuel drums, required two men to dispense .fuel from the drum, one man being occupied in operating the pump and the other with handling of .the dispensing hose. n the other hand, pneumatic pressure operated dispensers can be constructed to be operated by one operator.

Nevertheless, mechanical pumps were almost exclusively used by the Armed Forces in emptying the 55 gallon fuel drums which were extensively used by the Armed Forces because it was necessary to have available a dispensing device which could be used anywhere irrespective of whether or not air under pressure was available. Thus, advantage could not be taken of the availability of air pressure at any installations of the Armed Forces to efiect the saving in manpower and the relief from fatigue which is possible by use of pneumatic dispensers rather than mechanical dispensers.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a new and improved liquid dispensing device incorporating a, mechanical pumping means for dispensing liquid and means to adopt this dispensing device for dispensing liquid under pneumatic pressure.

Another object .of the invention is to provide a dispensing device especially adapted for dispensing liquid fuel, such as gasoline, from relatively small storage drums which device is readily portable and easily installed or removed from a drum so that it is particularly adaptable for use by the Armed Forces.

.A furtherobjectof the invention is to provide a liquid dispensing device incorporating means for efiecting a discharge of liquid from a sealed container under the influence 0f pneumatic pressure in which adjustable means is provided to limit the accumulation of pressure in the container which means may be manually operated to reduce th pressure in the container to :atmospheric along with i a conveniently located gauge to indicate the pressure being applied- A still further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved fluid dispensing device which is sturdy but nevertheless compact, light in weight, inexpensive in construction and not subject to rapid wearer frequent breakdown.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved fiuid dispensingdevice which ma be operated by one .man :and necessitates very little physical exertion so that it is not fatiguing.

These and other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will become apparent from the following description wherein reference is hadto the accompanying drawing in which;

Fig. l is a vertical sectional viewtaken on line i! of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the improved dispenser of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, itwi'll :be seen that the improved dispensing device is inclosed in a housing IQ comprising a body casting t2 and a cover plate It fastened'theretoiby means of .cap screws It or other suitable means. Preferably .a gasket is is interposed between the body casting I2 and cover plate i l to :form a "fluid-type seal. A. series of webs in the bodysubdivide the same into a pump chamber 26, .aninletchamber '22, an outlet chamber 24 anda passageway :26 between the inlet and outlet achambers 22 and 2.4, respectively, Icy-passing the pump chamber. Openings in the web form an :inlet 28 between the inlet chamber and pump chamber and .an outlet 35 between pump chamber and the outlet chamber. The body casting 12 has an integral base structure 32, including :coax-ial passageways 3d and 36. This base is threaded externally at its outer end so that .it may be screw threaded into a suitable opening in the end .of'a :container shown fragmentarily at -'38 fixedly to .mount the dispensing device on the container.

Inner coaxial passageway .34 communicates with the inlet chamber 22,,while outer coaxial passageway 38, which opens through :the outer end of the base, is sealed ;.or isolated from the inner passageway Mand'fmm'the interior of the body casting l2.

Housed within the pump chamber :20 .is. :a mtarypumpdfl which maybe of conventional .con-

The outlet chamber 24 of the dispensing device is connected to a dispensing conduit or hose indicated fragmentarily at 48 in Fig. 1, while the inner passageway 34 in thebase has a pipe 56 threaded therein. This pipe is of sufficient length to extend to the lowermost region of the container upon which the dispenser is to be mounted and forms an inlet to the dispensing device for the liquid in the container.

Intermediate the ends of by-pass passageway 26, a valve chamber is formed in the body casting l2, and a rotary valve 52 mounted upon a shaft which projects through the cover plate controls communication through the valve chamber. An operating handle 54 is provided on the projecting portion of the shaft for operating the valve. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that at one position of the valve the inlet and outlet chambers 22 and 24, respectively, are brought into communication through the by-pass passageway 25 and valve 52 whereas at another position of this valve communication through the by-pass passageway 26 is discontinued.

Adjacent the upper end of the base 32, a boss 55 is provided which has a threaded bore communicating with the outer coaxial passageway 36. A pipe or conduit 58 is threaded into the bore in this boss, and a pressure gauge fill is interposed in this conduit.

A pressure relief valve 82 housed in a bore 64 formed in a boss 66 also integral with the upper end of base 32 is provided to limit the pressure which may be developed in the outer coaxial passageway 36 and the container. Relief valve 62 is adapted to be engaged upon a valve seat 68 in the bore -4 and thereby control communication between the outer coaxial passageway 36 I and the exterior, this communication being established when the valve is open through a series of apertures 10 in boss 66. The relief valve 82 is urged to seated position by a compression spring '32 and is provided with a. stem 14 which extends loosely through an opening in a closure plug 76 threaded into the outer end of bore 64. The plug it forms a stop for the outer end of spring 12 and provides a means for adjusting the force exerted by the spring on the relief valve 52. On its outer end the stem 14 may be provided with a knob or ring 18 to facilitate manual grasping thereof.

Briefly to describe the operation of the dispensing device, it will be assumed that it is threaded tightly into an opening provided therefor in the end of the container 38 so that the open end of inlet pipe 50 extends into the lowermost region of the container and an air-tight seal is made between the base 32 and the end of the container. If liquid is to be dispensed from the container manually, by-pass valve 52 is turned to close communication between the inlet and outlet chambers 22 and 24, respectively through by-pass passageway 25. Upon rotating the pump handle 46, liquid will be drawn by the pump through inlet pipe into inlet chamber 22 and forced into outlet chamber 24 and outlet pipe 48 in a well-known manner. It will -be observed that one person is occupied in turning the handle 46 and therefore a second person 4 will usually be required to handle the outlet pipe or hose 48.

When pneumatic pressure is available and it is desired to dispense liquid making use of this pressure, the by-passvalve 52 is turned to the open position shown in Fig. 1 and the air inlet pipe 58 connected to the source of pneumatic pressure. Thereupon air will flow through 00-- axial passageway 36 into the upper end of the container 38 above the liquid therein. The pressure of the air will force the liquid through inlet pipe BiLinlet chamber 22, by-pass passagewayZG and into the outlet chamber 24 and outlet conduit 48. Increase in pressure in the container 38 is limited by pressure relief valve 62, and after a dispensing operation has been completed, this valve may be manually opened to reduce the pressure in the container to atmospheric.

It will thus be seen that a dispenser has been provided which may readily be converted from manual operation to pneumatic operation or vice versa. 7

While the invention has been described as it might be embodied in an original construction, it is to be understood that conventional rotary dispensing pumps can readily be modified to incorporate the principles of the invention. Thus, by providing a conduit between the inlet and outlet of such a pump with a control valve therein a suitable by-pass can be provided. The inlet pipe to the pump can also be provided with a jacketadjacent its upper end to form an inlet for air under pressure, and a suitable inlet relief valve may be provided on this jacket.

It will be apparent that numerous other variations and modifications of the invention may be made without departing from the underlying principles thereof. It is desired, therefore, by the following claims, to include within the scope of the invention, all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of the invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

I claim: N l. A device for selectively dispensing liquid from sealed containers mechanically or pneumatically comprising a pump including a housing having a hollow base adapted to be secured to an opening in said container. to mount said pump thereon, structure in said base and cooperating therewith to define isolated passageways therethrough including a passageway forming an inlet to said pump and a passageway for admitting air under pressure to the uppermost part of the container, means forming an outlet conduit of sufiicient length to extend from the first mentioned passageway in said base to the lowermost region of the container, said housing also having a pump outlet formed therein, means forming a lay-pass passageway between the inlet to said pump and its outlet, and a valve to control communication through said by-pass passageway.

2. A device for selectively dispensing liquid from sealed containers mechanically or pneumatically comprising a pump including a housing having a hollow base adapted to be secured to an opening in said container to mount said pump thereon, structure in said base and cooperating therewith to define isolated passageways there.- through including a passageway forming an inlet to said pump and a passageway for admitting air under pressure to the uppermost part of the container, means forming an inlet conduit of sufficient length to extend from the first mentioned passageway in said base to the lowermost region of the container, said housing also having a pump outlet formed therein, means forming a by-pass passageway between the inlet to said pump and its outlet, a valve to control communication through said by-pass passageway, and relief valve means in said base to limit the accumulation of pressure in said container.

3. A device for selectively dispensing liquid from sealed containers mechanically or pneumatically comprising a pump including a housing having a hollow base adapted to be secured in an opening in said container to mount said pump thereon, structure in said base and cooperating therewith to define isolated passageways therethrough including a passageway forming an inlet to said pump and a passageway for admitting air under pressure to the uppermost part of the container, means forming an inlet conduit of sufficient length to extend from the first mentioned passageway in said base to the lowermost region of the container, said housing also having a pump outlet formed therein, means forming a by-pass passageway between the inlet to said pump and its outlet, a valve to control communication through said by-pass passageway, and relief valve means in said base to limit accumulation of pressure in said container including manually controlled means to vent said container to the atmosphere.

4. A device for selectively dispensing liquids from sealed containers mechanically or pneumatically comprising a housing having a base adapted to be secured in an opening in said container to mount said device thereon in fluid-tight relation with the container, said housing having a pump chamber formed therein with an inlet and an outlet and said base having isolated 00- axial passageways one of which communicates with said inlet and the other of which communicates with the uppermost region of said container when the housing is mounted thereon, a pipe adapted to extend to the lowermost region of said containers from the coaxial passageway communicating with the inlet to said pump chamber, a pump in said pump chamber for pumping liquid from said inlet to said outlet, means forming a by-pass passageway in said housing between the inlet and outlet to said pump, a valve to control flow of fluid through said by-pass, and means to effect delivery of fluid from said container under the influence of air under pressure including inlet means for admitting air under pressure to said second mentioned passageway and relief valve means to limit the accumulation of air under pressure in said container.

5. A device for selectively dispensing liquids from sealed containers mechanically or pneumatically comprising a housing having a base adapted to be secured in-an opening in said container to mount said device thereon in fluid-tight relation with the container, said housing having a pump chamber formed therein with an inlet and an outlet and said base having isolated ooaxial passageways one of which communicates with said inlet and the other of which communicates with the uppermost region of said container when the housing is mounted thereon, a pipe adapted to extend to the lowermost region of said container from the coaxial passageway cornmunicating with the inlet to said pump chamber, a pump in said pump chamber for pumping liquid from said inlet to said outlet, means forming a by-pass passageway in said housing between the inlet and outlet to said pump, a valve to control flow of fluid through said by-pass, and means to effect delivery of fiuid from said container under the influence of air under pressure comprising inlet means for admitting air under pressure to said second mentioned passageway and relief valve means to limit the accumulation of air under pressure in said container including manually controlled means to vent said container to the atmosphere.

6. A device for selectively dispensing liquids from sealed containers mechanically or pneumatically comprising a housing having a base adapted to be secured in an opening in said container to mount said device thereon in fluid-tight relation with the container, said housing having a pump chamber formed therein with an inlet and an outlet and said base having isolated coaxial passageways one of which communicates with said inlet and the other of which communicates with the uppermost region of said container when the housing is mounted thereon to form an inlet for air under pressure, a pipe adapted to extend to the lowermost region of said container from the coaxial passageway communicating with the inlet to said pump chamber, a pump in said pump chamber for pumping liquid from said inlet to said outlet, means forming a by-pass passageway in said housing between the inlet and outlet to said pump, a valve to control flow of fluid through said by-pass when air under pressure is admitted to said container, and relief valve means in said base to limit the accumulation of pressure in said chamber comprising a bore in said base extending from said air inlet passageway to the exterior, a valve in said bore yieldingly biased to closed position with a predetermined force, and a stem on said valve projecting outwardly of said bore for manually operating said valve.

ANTHONY J. DANIELS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 655,954 Brooks Aug. 14, 1900 2,169,514 Buzzard Aug. 15, 1939 2,287,789 Drollet June 30, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 118,495 Australia May 8, 1944 

